The present invention relates to a fire hydrant automatic shut-off valve and more particularly pertains to stopping the flow of water once a fire hydrant has been removed from a water supply line.
Many automobile accidents occur in urban settings. Unfortunately, in these settings many fire hydrants are positioned along the roads. Thus, some of these accidents result in contact with these fire hydrants where in some instances, the fire hydrant is removed. This will expose the fire hydrant""s connection to the main water line thereby causing an uncontrollable flow of water from the main water line that usually takes a significant amount of time to neutralize. The end result being the waste of thousands of gallons of water prior to the main water line being shut down. What is needed is a way to immediately stop the flow of water once a fire hydrant has been removed from its connection with the main water line.
The present invention attempts to solve the abovementioned problem by providing a device that essentially is a valve that will close on the main water line once the fire hydrant has been removed from its seat.
The use of valve assembly devices is known in the prior art. More specifically, valve assembly devices heretofore devised and utilized for the purpose of shutting off the flow of water are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,609,179 to Knapp discloses an automatic shut-off valve for a fire hydrant, using a spring activated disk and rod assembly to close the pipe in the event of a breakage. U.S. Pat. No. 4,762,140 to Davis discloses a valve capable of shutting off the flow of water for a sprinkler head. U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,110 to Segal discloses a fire hydrant assembly.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objective and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not describe a fire hydrant automatic shut-off valve for stopping the flow of water once a fire hydrant has been removed from a water supply line.
In this respect, the fire hydrant automatic shut-off valve according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of stopping the flow of water once a fire hydrant has been removed from a water supply line.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there exists a continuing need for a new and improved fire hydrant automatic shut-off valve which can be used for stopping the flow of water once a fire hydrant has been removed from a water supply line. In this regard, the present invention substantially fulfills this need.
In the view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of valve assembly devices now present in the prior art, the present invention provides an improved fire hydrant automatic shut-off valve. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new and improved fire hydrant automatic shut-off valve which has all the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.
To attain this, the present invention essentially comprises a cylindrical sleeve having an open lower end and an open upper end. The cylindrical sleeve has a pair of outwardly formed pockets disposed below the open upper end. The open lower end receives a water supply stand pipe therein. The open lower end has a lower mounting plate disposed thereon for securement to the water supply stand pipe. The open upper end receives an open lower end of the fire hydrant thereon whereby the open lower end of the fire hydrant is in communication with the water supply stand pipe. The open upper end of the sleeve has an upper mounting plate disposed thereon for securement to the fire hydrant. The upper mounting plate has a ring plate secured to a lower surface thereof. The ring plate has an inwardly extending annular flange. The flange corresponds with a depth of the outwardly formed pockets. A pair of flaps is hingedly coupled with the annular flange of the ring plate of the cylindrical sleeve. The pair of flaps close to a corresponding horizontal position to effectively seal the cylindrical sleeve to prevent water from flowing from the water supply stand pipe to the fire hydrant. A trigger sleeve is slidably disposed within the open upper end of the cylindrical sleeve. The trigger sleeve includes a hollow main portion having a cylindrical flange extending outwardly therefrom. The cylindrical flange is seated atop the annular flange of the ring plate whereby the hollow main portion extends downwardly to push the pair of flaps into the outwardly formed pockets to allow water to flow freely from the water supply stand pipe to the fire hydrant. The trigger sleeve has a safety line secured thereto. The safety line has a free end secured to the ring plate.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved fire hydrant automatic shut-off valve which has all the advantages of the prior art valve assembly devices and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved fire hydrant automatic shut-off valve which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new and improved fire hydrant automatic shut-off valve which is of durable and reliable construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved fire hydrant automatic shut-off valve which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such a fire hydrant automatic shut-off valve economically available to the buying public.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved fire hydrant automatic shut-off valve for stopping the flow of water once a fire hydrant has been removed from a water supply line.
Lastly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved fire hydrant automatic shut-off valve including a cylindrical sleeve having an open lower end and an open upper end. The open lower end receives a water supply stand pipe therein. The open upper end receives an open lower end of the fire hydrant thereon whereby the open lower end of the fire hydrant is in communication with the water supply stand pipe. A pair of flaps is hingedly coupled with the open upper end of the cylindrical sleeve. The pair of flaps close to a corresponding horizontal position to effectively seal the cylindrical sleeve to prevent water from flowing from the water supply stand pipe to the fire hydrant. A trigger sleeve is slidably disposed within the open upper end of the cylindrical sleeve. The trigger sleeve extends downwardly to push the pair of flaps outwardly to allow water to flow freely from the water supply stand pipe to the fire hydrant.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.